i recently stopped smoking and i took guitar playing as a way to keep myself busy, plus its something i ve always wanted to do but never got around to it. i have been playing (if you can call it that lol) for about a month now and i am now working on learning barre chords , (this is all self taught) so from what i hear from people in general is that your index finger is the "bar" and as an example bminor chord your index finger has the job of covering the second fret from fifth string to the first string while you put your third finger on the fourth fret of the fourth string then add your pinky to the fourth fret of the third string and your second finger on the third fret of the second string,.. my question is this , is it necessary to actualy put pressure on those four string with my index or can i just hold down first and fifth strings with my index ? since the rest is already covered by my other fingers ( minus the sixth string we dont play) i ve tried to do it both ways but i cant hear a difference in tone not even by a semi tone can anyone shed light on this subject for me thanks in advance

I think I get what you're saying. And my advice is no. You do not have to fret the string in 2 places. If you are fretting with the 3rd finger and pinky, you don't have to have pressure on the same strings with the index finger.
Happy playing, and welcome to a new addiction.

I would say yes, barre all string across the second fret. It might not make a difference with the b minor now, but there are other chords you can barre here like b minor7 that you will need to do it for. It will be easier in the future if you learn it correctly now.

I would say yes, barre all string across the second fret. It might not make a difference with the b minor now, but there are other chords you can barre here like b minor7 that you will need to do it for. It will be easier in the future if you learn it correctly now.

yes i see what you mean , its best to use proper technique from the beginning thx mate